(Alliance News) - The EU's trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said the bloc will secure a trade deal with the US in "good faith" guided by "mutual respect, not threats".

US President Donald Trump threatened to slap 50% tariffs on all EU goods sent to the US.

After a call with US trade representative Jamieson Greer and commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, Sefcovic said on Friday night the 27-member union was "fully engaged, committed to securing a deal that works for both".

"EU-US trade is unmatched & must be guided by mutual respect, not threats," he wrote in a post on X.

"We stand ready to defend our interests."

On Friday, Trump claimed the talks were "going nowhere" and said he was recommending that the 50% tariff rate come into effect on June 1.

Shares fell in the US, EU and UK following Trump's latest threats on tariffs.

Irish Premier Micheal Martin said the move by Trump had come as a "surprise", noting that the EU was engaging in "good faith" with the US to agree a deal on trade.

The president also announced he would be imposing a 25% tariff on all Apple iPhones manufactured outside the US. He warned that tariffs were also coming for other foreign-manufactured smartphones.

Martin warned of the consequences if such levels of tariffs were imposed.

"This is a surprise, because there was a pause until early July," he told RTE.

"Everybody in the EU is acting in good faith and wants a negotiated settlement with the US.

"The trading relationship between the EU and the US is the most dynamic and largest in the world, so tariffs of that height or scale would be extremely disruptive and would create even wider disruption across the global economy."

By Jessica Coates and David Young, PA

source: PA

Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.